sex education should be mandatory in high schools essay

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Sex Education in America: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly

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The debate over the best way to teach sexual health in the U.S. continues to rage on, but student voice is often left out of the conversation when schools are deciding on what to teach. So Myles and PBS NewsHour Student Reporters from Oakland Military Institute investigate the pros and cons of the various approaches to sex ed and talk to students to find out how they feel about their sexual health education.

TEACHERS: Guide your students to practice civil discourse about current topics and get practice writing CER (claim, evidence, reasoning) responses.  Explore lesson supports.

What is comprehensive sex education?

Comprehensive sex education teaches that not having sex is the best way to avoid STIs and unintended pregnancies, but it also includes medically accurate information about STI prevention, reproductive health, as well as discussions about healthy relationships, consent, gender identity, LGBTQ issues and more. What is sexual risk avoidance education? Sexual risk avoidance education is also known as abstinence only or abstinence-leaning education. It generally teaches that not having sex is the only morally acceptable, safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy and STIs — some programs don’t talk about birth control or condoms– unless it is to emphasize failure rates.

What are the main arguments for comprehensive sex education?

“Comprehensive sex ed” is based on the idea that public health improves when students have a right to learn about their sexuality and to make responsible decisions about it. Research shows it works to reduce teen pregnancies, delay when teens become sexually active and reduce the number of sexual partners teens have.

What are the main arguments against comprehensive sex education?

Some people, particularly parents and religious groups, take issue with comprehensive sex ed because they believe it goes against their cultural or religious values, and think that it can have a corrupting influence on kids. They say that by providing teens with this kind of information you are endorsing and encouraging sex and risk taking. Some opponents also argue that this type of information should be left up to parents to teach their kids about and shouldn’t be taught in schools.

State Laws and Policies Across the US (SIECUS) 

STDs Adolescents and Young Adults (CDC) 

Myths and Facts about Comprehensive Sex Education (Advocates for Youth)

Abstinence-Only and Comprehensive Sex Education and the Initiation of Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy (Journal of Adolescent Health)

Abstinence-Only-Until Marriage: An Updated Review of US Policies and Programs and Their Impact (Journal of Adolescent Health) 

Sexual Risk Avoidance Education: What you need to know (ASCEND) 

We partnered with PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs for this episode. Check out their journalism resources for students: https://studentreportinglabs.org/

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Power to Decide

Why sex education matters.

Maggi LeDuc

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In 2014, a study found that 93% of parents supported having sex education in middle school and 96% supported teaching sex ed in high school. A 2017 study again found that 93% of parents favored sexuality education in schools. These are not isolated results; decades of research support the benefits of comprehensive, inclusive sex education.

Comprehensive sexuality education is also supported by professional organizations such as the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, and the 184 organizations—including Power to Decide—who joined in coalition in May 2020 to support the Sex Ed for All movement. 

At the moment, 28 states (and DC) require some kind of sex education and HIV education and seven states only require HIV education. However, only 17 require that education to be medically accurate and 29 states require schools to stress abstinence . Because sex education in schools is legislated on the state (or individual school district) level, not the federal, the quality of what is taught varies widely across the country. The CDC’s 2018 School Health Profiles found that only 43% of high schools and 18% of middle schools taught ‘key’ topics in sex education. Some of the topics the CDC labels as ‘key’ include information on how to prevent STIs and unplanned pregnancy, maintaining healthy relationships, avoiding peer pressure, and using appropriate health services. 

The World Health Organization notes that the focus of sexuality education in Europe has shifted from preventing pregnancy in the 1960’s to preventing HIV in the ‘80’s to today covering these topics alongside such issues as sexism, homophobia, and online bullying gender norms, the sexuality spectrum, and emotional development. In contrast, a 2018 study reported that students in the US were less likely to receive sex education on key topics in 2015-2019 than they were in 1995. The same study found that only 43% of females and 47% of males who had penis-in-vagina sex covered safe sex in school before they engaged in sex for the first time. 

Truly comprehensive sex education includes, but isn't limited to:

• Taught by trained sex educators. 
• Begun early and progresses at an age-appropriate pace. 
• Evidence-based. 
• Inclusive of LGBTQ young people.
• Explicitly anti-racist. 
• Learner-centered. 
• Community-specific. 

Sex ed that is for everyone includes (but isn't limited to) information about:

• Healthy relationships.
• Anatomy and physiology. 
• Adolescent sexual development. 
• Gender identity and expression. 
• Sexual orientation and identity. 
• The full range of birth control methods and pregnancy options. 

All young people have a right to this kind of high-quality, evidence-based information and care to ensure their lifelong sexual and reproductive health. Again , and again , and again both national and international research has found that young people who have experienced comprehensive sexuality education delay having sex for the first time, are less likely to engage in risky behavior, and are more likely to use birth control. 

Plus, beyond giving young people facts, inclusive sex ed provides skills such as effective communication, active listening, and the ability to make informed decisions that will help them to grow and live safe, healthy, and fulfilling lives.   

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How should mandatory sex education be taught?

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• Peer review
• Pandora Pound , research fellow
• School of social and community medicine, University of Bristol
• Pandora.Pound{at}bristol.ac.uk

Can sex and relationships education be effective if it’s not delivered in a way that is acceptable to young people?

The government has announced its intention to make sex and relationships education (SRE) statutory in all secondary schools, and to make relationships education statutory in all primary schools. 1 This is very welcome news.

It is 17 years since the government last issued guidance on SRE and during that time huge changes have occurred. 2 There have been important positive developments, such as increased gender equality, and a transformation in attitudes towards sexuality, as indicated by the increasing number of countries introducing same sex marriage laws. 3

At the same time, however, mobile phone technology and widespread internet access have altered how young people learn about sex, bringing exposure to online pornography and new risks such as cyberbullying, sexting, and online exploitation.

And against this backdrop some things have remained unchanged, for example 16-24 year olds account for most new UK diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections. 4 5 There is no doubt about the need for statutory SRE and all those who have campaigned to achieve this should be warmly congratulated.

SRE is seen as vital for safeguarding young people and improving their sexual health, but provision has been patchy and the quality variable. 6 7 The new policy statement, however, focuses overwhelmingly on what should be taught, with no mention of how that content should be delivered, or by whom. Fortunately, secondary school pupils have a lot to say about this.

One of their key messages is that they would prefer not to have SRE delivered by familiar teachers. 8 This is not just because they believe their teachers will be embarrassed or lack expertise, but also because they feel that it could blur boundaries and introduce awkwardness into the teacher-pupil relationship. Pupils’ concern over this issue is likely to depend on their age and does not appear to be such a problem for primary school children. 9 Secondary school pupils, however, want privacy and confidentiality but do not always trust teachers to maintain this, or to be impartial and non-judgmental. The problem is that while improved training for teachers may result in their being more confident, knowledgeable, and accepting, those teachers are still familiar and the potential for awkwardness and blurred boundaries remains.

Many experts and campaigners, however, believe that teachers are the only sustainable option. This is understandable as teachers, once trained, are a cheaper option than external providers, and are also felt to provide continuity. But should sustainability trump acceptability? Can SRE be effective if it is not delivered in a way that is acceptable to young people?

To relate young people’s views on this issue is not to denigrate those teachers who deliver SRE. At present they are in the unenviable position of having to teach sensitive topics with little or no training, in public spaces that strive to be desexualised, and with pupils who may robustly test their ability to deliver the lessons.

One possibility is for secondary schools to have a dedicated and highly qualified SRE teacher who delivers SRE only and has no other role within the school. Such a person could offer expertise, confidentiality, continuity, and distinct boundaries. They could be shared by several schools or within academy chains. Another model—appreciated by both pupils and teachers where it has been employed—is the co-teaching model whereby external sexual health professionals collaborate with teachers on an ongoing basis to deliver SRE. 10

Statutory SRE is a huge step in the right direction but it is not a panacea. While there is, rightly, a focus on getting the themes and topics right for the new curriculum, there needs to be an equal emphasis on getting the educators right. This will be harder, but is absolutely necessary if this opportunity is not to be wasted.

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the NHS, the National Institute for Health Research , or the Department of Health. The funders had no role in the decision to submit the article for publication.

I have read and understood BMJ’s policy on declaration of interests and declare the following interests: none.

Commissioned, not peer reviewed.

• ↵ Department for Education. Policy statement: relationships education, relationships and sex education, and personal, social, health and economic education, 2017. www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/595828/170301_Policy_statement_PSHEv2.pdf .
• ↵ Department for Education and Employment. Sex and relationship education guidance. 2000. www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/283599/sex_and_relationship_education_guidance.pdf .
• ↵ Mercer CH, Tanton C, Prah P, et al. Changes in sexual attitudes and lifestyles in Britain through the life course and over time: findings from the National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal). Lancet 2013 ; 357 : 1781 - 94 . doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62035-8   pmid:24286784 . OpenUrl
• ↵ European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Annual epidemiological report 2014: sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and blood borne viruses. 2015. http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/press/news/_layouts/forms/News_DispForm.aspx?List=8db7286c-fe2d-476c-9133-18ff4cb1b568&ID=1173 .
• ↵ Hale DR, Viner RM. Policy responses to multiple risk behaviours in adolescents. J Public Health (Oxf) 2012 ; 357 ( Suppl 1 ): i11 - 9 . doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdr112   pmid:22363026 . OpenUrl
• ↵ Walsh K, Zwi K, Woolfenden S, et al. School based education programmes for the prevention of child sexual abuse. 2015. www.cochrane.org/CD004380/BEHAV_school-based-programmes-for-the-prevention-of-child-sexual-abuse .
• ↵ Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. Not yet good enough: personal, social, health and economic education in schools. 2013. http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/17618/2/Not%20yet%20good%20enough%20personal_%20social_%20health%20and%20economic%20education%20in%20schools%20-%20report%20summary.pdf .
• ↵ Pound P, Langford R, Campbell R. What do young people think about their school-based sex and relationship education? A qualitative synthesis of young people’s views and experiences. BMJ Open 2016 ; 357 : e011329 . doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011329   pmid:27625058 . OpenUrl
• ↵ Pound P, Shucksmith J, Tanton C, et al. What is best practice in sex and relationships education? A synthesis of evidence, including stakeholders’ views. Under review 2017.
• ↵ Blenkinsop S, Wade P, Benton T, et al. Evaluation of the APAUSE SRE programme. 2004. www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/SRP01 .

Sex Education: 4 Questions and Answers About the Latest Controversy

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The perennially touchy issue of sex education has erupted again—this time in states not known for being especially prudish about the topic.

Both Illinois and New Jersey rolled out changes to health and sex education standards this school year. And in both states, the revisions have sparked complaints—often specifically about what the standards say about LGBTQ issues and on sexual identity.

Here are some answers to common questions about the latest flare-ups.

Hasn’t sex ed. always been controversial?

For sure. It’s frequently the subject of intense local debates, in part because sexuality education is probably the most local of all curriculum topics in schools: Sex education is not mandatory in all of the states, which means it’s often up to school districts to decide whether—and how—to offer it.

Many states do set some parameters for sex ed., usually in legislation, but these guidelines are still pretty sketchy—often framed in terms of what educators can’t mention (abortion, same-sex relationships) than what they should mention. And it’s still left up to school districts to craft teaching materials or to hire outside organizations to provide curriculum and training.

There are no national sex education mandates, but historically, federal funding for health education has shaped what’s covered in the classes. Abstinence continues to be a core theme of this programming.

One common thread in the evolution of sex education has been risk avoidance and prevention, which have driven the emphasis of specific topics over the years: sexually transmitted infections in the 1970s, teen pregnancy in the 1970s and 1980s, and HIV/AIDS beginning in the 1980s.

Now, health researchers and practitioners have tried to shift away from trying to frighten kids away from behavior that carries any risk. Instead they favor an approach that emphasizes informed decisionmaking, risk management, and self-advocacy.

“Because when kids feel confident in their skills, they’ll act in more healthy ways,” said Judy LoBianco, the supervisor of health and physical education for the Livingston public schools in New Jersey.

What’s ‘comprehensive sex education’ anyway?

This is basically the term of art for a more holistic approach towards sex education that goes beyond abstinence or risk prevention. It includes topics like gender roles and identity, consent, healthy relationships, and sexual diversity presented in the context of social and emotional skills.

This is the approach taken by the groups that have crafted the National Sex Education Standards, last updated in 2020. Despite their name, these are not mandated. States use them to inform their own guidelines. (Illinois adopted these guidelines, but allows districts to opt out of using them, and many have.)

Counter to popular claims, the guidelines do not introduce specific sexual practices in early grades. In 2nd grade, for instance, the national standards require that students can list medically accurate names for the body parts, including genitals, and that students can define “bodily autonomy” and personal boundaries.

How are national politics affecting the sex-ed. discussion?

Despite polling that generally shows that adults favor the tenets of comprehensive sex education, many of the new complaints about sex education echo national political discourse that casts schools as the sites of indoctrination about gender identity.

In New Jersey, whose new standards draw on but aren’t identical to the National Sex Education Standards, opponents have claimed that they show young children “sexually explicit” material and are “indoc t rinating” kids into “woke ideology.”

Some of these complaints cite purported materials and lesson plans in use, claiming they are required by the state. But the state does not pick what curriculum, lesson plans, or training teachers receive; districts select those.

In general, sex-ed. advocates say, these complaints are linked to wider moves to censor what happens in classrooms. About 17 states have restricted lessons about race and gender—and some of them, like a Florida law that forbids talk about sex or sexuality in grades K-3 , have led to the accusations that teachers are “grooming” students. Sociologists and health experts say conflating grooming—in which an adult inappropriately develops a close relationship with a child to facilitate abuse—with sex education puts both teachers and students at risk.

Is the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the ‘Dobbs’ case affecting sex ed.?

Surprisingly, abortion is not a common theme in most states’ sex-ed. guidelines . Only nine states and the District of Columbia direct whether or how to discuss abortion in sex education, according to a 2022 policy review from the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, or SIECUS, a nonprofit.

Six of those states prohibit discussing abortion, while Vermont, Colorado, and the District of Columbia affirm abortion as an option.

More states—about 15—include abortion in the context of social studies classes, where it’s often taught in lessons about interpretations of the U.S. Constitution, the 14th Amendment, and the expansion of civil liberties.

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Sex education should be mandatory in all schools, MPs demand

Ministers scolded for not addressing inadequate teaching of the subject despite huge demand from teachers, parents and students

Sex education should be compulsory in all primary and secondary schools, with sufficient curriculum time devoted to the subject and specialist training for teachers, MPs have urged.

In a hard-hitting report published on Tuesday, the Commons education select committee comes down firmly on the side of campaigners who have long fought for sex and relationships education (SRE) to be made mandatory.

It urges the Department for Education to come up with a strategy to deliver age-appropriate personal, social and health education (PSHE) and SRE as a statutory provision across all schools.

Graham Stuart, the committee chair, said there was “an overwhelming demand for statutory sex and relationship education – from teachers, parents and young people.

“It’s important that school leaders and governors take PSHE seriously and improve their provision by investing in training for teachers and putting PSHE lessons on the school timetable. Statutory status will help ensure all of this happens.

“Young people have a right to information that will keep them healthy and safe,” he said. “SRE forms an important part of any school’s efforts to safeguard young people from abuse, and is particularly needed to protect the most vulnerable children.”

A damning 2013 Ofsted report found that the PSHE and SRE was inadequate in 40% of schools, and the situation was worsening, the cross-party committee said.

MPs condemned ministers’ attempts to address these shortcomings as weak and insufficient and said there was a mismatch between the priority ministers claim they give PSHE and steps taken to address the problem.

As one of its recommendations, the report calls on the DfE to clarify that children in primary schools should be taught the proper names for genitalia as part of the national curriculum. Ofsted said young children’s inability to name body parts represented a weakness in safeguarding.

The committee also concluded that parents should retain the right to withdraw their children from sex education. “Parents have rights, too.” said Stuart. “They must be consulted by schools on the provision of SRE and must keep the right to withdraw their children if they are unhappy with what the school provides.”

The committee was concerned about the lack of clarity over the status of sex education in schools. Primary schools do not have to provide sex and relationship lessons beyond what is covered in the science curriculum; academies do not have to offer SRE, while local council-run secondaries have to cover sexually transmitted diseases as part of science for 14-16-year-olds.

The latest official government advice on SRE is 14 years old. The committee heard evidence during its nine-month inquiry that the world had changed radically in that time, with the rise of social media, easy access to pornography and cyberbullying.

The committee was told that sexting had become “normative behaviour” among older teenagers – 14-year-old girls routinely pose in their bras for profile pictures – and youngsters needed help to understand when it was abusive, harmful or linked to exploitation. It also heard that understanding of sexual consent and abusive relationships among young people was insufficient.

A DfE spokesperson acknowledged that more was needed to be done to improve the teaching of PSHE. “We want to see all young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain.

“High-quality PSHE teaching has a vital role to play in this. That’s why we are working with schools and experts to ensure the PSHE and relationships education that young people receive is appropriate and of a high standard.

“We have already set up a new expert subject group on PSHE to identify key areas where teachers need further support. However, we are aware that more needs to be done to raise the quality of teaching in this area and we will consider the findings of this report carefully.”

The shadow education secretary, Tristram Hunt, said: “Children and young people should be taught the importance of respect and healthy relationships and to understand the role of the family – in all its forms. That is why Labour will make age-appropriate sex and relationship education compulsory in all state schools.”

The report was widely welcomed by campaigners. Lucy Emmerson, coordinator of the Sex Education Forum, said: “It is clear that many children and young people go through school without getting vital age-appropriate information about their bodies, what is right and wrong in relationships, consent and sexual health.

“Support for statutory SRE has never been clearer: nine out of 10 students back legislative change, and more than three-quarters of parents want primary schools to teach about the difference between safe and unwanted touch and how to speak up if someone treats them inappropriately.”

Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: “The report acknowledges the widespread support for PSHE and SRE and recognises our request for investment in high-quality training for teachers and putting the subject on the timetable.”

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) said the report was “another blow to the government’s laissez-faire approach to educational provision”.

Joe Hayman, chief executive of the PSHE Association said: “Ministers must urgently review their position. Four recent inquiries into child sexual exploitation have also called for this learning to be compulsory in schools to keep children safe, while the office of the children’s commissioner has today expressed concern [in its report looking into child sexual exploitation] that its recommendation that PSHE is made statutory has not been adopted by government.”

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• Sexual health
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What Has Your Sex Education Been Like?

By Natalie Proulx

• April 11, 2019

Have you taken any sex education classes during your time in school? In what grade did they start? What topics have you covered each year?

Over all, do you feel you have gotten an adequate education around sex? Why or why not?

In “ As Colorado Moves to Bar Abstinence-Only Sex Education, Teenagers Take the Lead ,” Dan Levin writes about a new law that would require schools in the state to teach comprehensive, medically accurate sex education:

Last year, when Clark Wilson was in eighth grade, his sex education teacher repeatedly rolled a piece of tape on a table until it lost its stickiness, using words like “tainted” and “impure” to describe those who engage in premarital sex. The lesson: “People are like tape and once they have sex they’re dirty and can’t have meaningful relationships,” said Clark, now 15 and a freshman at a Colorado high school in the Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch. While sex education classes are not mandatory in Colorado, proposed legislation that is widely expected to pass would bar the state’s public and charter schools from abstinence-only education. Clark was among several students who testified last month in support of the bill, which would also mandate teachings about safe sex, consent and sexual orientation, elements that have prompted a fierce backlash from those who argue they pose an attack on traditional family values and parental rights. The comprehensive sex education bill, which passed the House this week and is headed to the Senate, would make Colorado the ninth state in the nation to require that consent be taught. Washington, D.C., also teaches consent. Colorado, with its increasingly liberal cities but strong conservative footholds, is a microcosm of the larger national debate over sex ed. Across the country, 37 states require abstinence be covered or stressed, while only 13 require sex education to be medically accurate, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which studies reproductive health. In seven states, laws prohibit educators from portraying same-sex relationships positively. In many schools, however, the focus on abstinence goes beyond just warning children about sexually transmitted infections or unplanned pregnancies. Often, students say, teachers tear off flower petals or pass around an object like tape, a stick of gum or a chocolate bar that becomes increasingly grubby as it’s touched. Studies have repeatedly shown that abstinence-only education increases rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, while comprehensive sex education lowers such risks. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2000 to 2014, schools that required sex education dropped to 48 percent from 67 percent, with half of middle schools and more than three-quarters of high schools focusing on abstinence. Only a quarter of middle schools and three-fifths of high schools included lessons about birth control. In 1995, 81 percent of boys and 87 percent of girls reported learning about birth control in school.

In response to this news, The Edit, a newsletter written for and by college students and recent graduates, invited young people to share their sex ed experiences. Here’s what they had to say:

Shelby Scott, Knoxville, Tenn. I was born and raised in Mountain Brook, Ala., which is an upper middle class community in the conservative Christian South. In ninth grade, health teachers showed pictures of late-stage STIs and we had an external speaker come to discuss sex more fully. The program she taught was staunchly abstinence only. The first demonstration she gave was the “ dirty piece of tape ,” in which we were told that having multiple sexual partners prevents your ability to have emotionally fulfilling relationships. While some students (especially those with more open-minded/realistic parents) knew the education we received was unhelpful, for other students it was legitimately harmful. After months of discussing whether they were ready and both consented, a close friend had sex with her college boyfriend. Later in the evening, I went over to her room and found her crying and repeating, “I’m a dirty piece of tape,” the message she internalized from our ninth grade health class. Caleb Goldberg, Louisville, Ky. My sex education class at a small private school in Louisville lasted between seventh and ninth grades (for reference, this is during 2012-15). It wasn’t an abstinence-only class, but it was pretty close. We learned extensively about STDs, while condoms and contraception were only mentioned in passing, and the emotional aspect of sex wasn’t, to my recollection, discussed at all. It was extremely heteronormative — gay men were briefly mentioned in the context of AIDS, and no other references to the L.G.B.T. community were made. I identify as more or less asexual so this inadequate education doesn’t really affect me too much, but I still think it would have been beneficial for me and my fellow students to have heard a more honest account of sexuality. Linnea Peterson, Minnesota The most comprehensive sex ed I ever got was actually provided by my church. Most people are horrified when they hear this, but my church is an anomaly. In the 1980s, we were the first large Lutheran church to be led by a female pastor, and, in 2012, we became the first large Lutheran church to be led by an openly gay pastor. My church-led sex ed was not the “don’t have sex or you’re going to hell” talk people sometimes envision. Rather, when I was in seventh grade, I went on a weekend-long retreat with my church that discussed healthy relationships, gender roles, sexual orientation, stereotypes, STDs, and birth control. The retreat certainly didn’t ensure that all of my relationships would be healthy (they weren’t), but it did much more than my public junior high or public high school did to equip me for the world of intimacy. Amanda Haas, Westlake, Ohio I went to Catholic grade school and high school in the suburbs of Cleveland. In fifth grade they taught us what sex was, and in eighth grade we talked more about STDs, pregnancy, and the value of waiting until marriage to have sex. In high school we learned about birth control, condoms, and looked more in depth about what sex was biologically. My teacher had a box where we could anonymously ask questions and made us all yell “Scrotum!” out the window to get the giggles out and make us more comfortable. I’m really thankful for the fact I had comprehensive sex education with an emphasis on abstinence, the emotional weight of sex, and the value of waiting for someone who cares about you. I think giving young people all the facts allows them to make better decisions. I’m personally still a practicing Catholic and at 23-years-old my boyfriend and I have been dating for three years without having sex. Rebecca Oss, Yardley, Pa. I’m a high school senior who goes to a public school with about 4,000 students. In my district, “health class” starts in fifth grade and goes to tenth grade, but only three years (fifth, seventh, and ninth) include sex ed. Ninth grade had 45 days of health, half being basically: “drugs are bad.” We talked about consent and how relationships can be abusive. We talked about a couple types of birth control. We were told there were three types of sex (vaginal, oral, and anal). We talked about porn and how it was not a realistic view of sex (though we were never given any information on what sex should really look like). Most of that class was about STIs, however. I am not sure if it was intentional or not, but a lot of what we covered seemed to be: “look at these disgusting diseases you could get from sex, so stay away!!!” There are some topics I really wish I had been taught, though. I wish we had talked about L.G.B.T.Q. relationships. I wish we had covered the fluidity of sexuality and gender too. And most importantly I wish we had had this class more often, so that I could more easily feel comfortable talking about these topics. Zach Eisenstein, Washington, D.C. As a young person starting to come to terms with my queer identity, I never benefited from a lesson or curriculum that I could even remotely see myself reflected in before college. When I got there, I lucked my way into a human sexuality course during my first semester. I actually learned about sex. I learned about enthusiastic consent. I learned that no penis is too large for a condom. But, most importantly, I learned that sex education is so much more than telling students to avoid “risky” behaviors that could lead to STIs or unintended pregnancies. My sexuality is not a risk. It’s just a part of who I am. And I should have learned that long before I got to college.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

— What has your sex education been like? Is it abstinence-focused or more comprehensive? What topics have you covered in your classes?

— What has been the most impactful experience — either positive or negative — you’ve had during your sex education? What made it so powerful?

— How do you feel about your sex education over all? For example, do you feel informed and empowered by your experience? Or confused and demeaned? Do you feel comfortable with your own body and sexuality? Do you feel prepared to have healthy relationships with others? Do you feel you have a good understanding of all the aspects of a sexual relationship — the social, emotional and biological? Why or why not?

— What topics do you wish you had learned more about in sex ed? Why?

— Do you think states should require that schools teach comprehensive, medically accurate sex education? Or should schools decide their own curriculums? Should parents be permitted to opt their children out of sex ed lessons? Why or why not?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Sex Education that Goes Beyond Sex

• Posted November 28, 2018
• By Grace Tatter

Historically, the measure of a good sex education program has been in the numbers: marked decreases in the rates of sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancies, and pregnancy-related drop-outs. But, increasingly, researchers, educators, and advocates are emphasizing that sex ed should focus on more than physical health. Sex education, they say, should also be about relationships.

Giving students a foundation in relationship-building and centering the notion of care for others can enhance wellbeing and pave the way for healthy intimacy in the future, experts say. It can prevent or counter gender stereotyping and bias. And it could minimize instances of sexual harassment and assault in middle and high school — instances that may range from cyberbullying and stalking to unwanted touching and nonconsensual sex. A recent study from Columbia University's Sexual Health Initative to Foster Transformation (SHIFT) project suggests that comprehensive sex education protects students from sexual assault even after high school.

If students become more well-practiced in thinking about caring for one another, they’ll be less likely to commit — and be less vulnerable to — sexual violence, according to this new approach to sex ed. And they’ll be better prepared to engage in and support one another in relationships, romantic and otherwise, going forward. 

Giving students a foundation in relationship-building can enhance wellbeing and pave the way for healthy intimacy in the future, experts say. It can also prevent or counter gender stereotyping, and it could minimize instances of sexual harassment and assault in middle and high school.

Introducing Ethics Into Sex Ed

Diving into a conversation even tangentially related to sex with a group of 20 or so high school students isn’t easy. Renee Randazzo helped researcher Sharon Lamb pilot the Sexual Ethics and Caring Curriculum while a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She recalls boys snickering during discussions about pornography and objectification. At first, it was hard for students to be vulnerable.

But the idea behind the curriculum is that tough conversations are worth having. Simply teaching students how to ask for consent isn’t enough, says Lamb, a professor of counseling psychology at UMass Boston, who has been researching the intersection between caring relationships, sex, and education for decades. Students also to have understand why consent is important and think about consent in a variety of contexts. At the heart of that understanding are questions about human morality, how we relate to one another, and what we owe to one another. In other words, ethics.

“When I looked at what sex ed was doing, it wasn’t only a problem that kids weren’t getting the right facts,” Lamb says. “It was a problem that they weren’t getting the sex education that would make them treat others in a caring and just way.”

She became aware that when schools were talking about consent — if they were at all — it was in terms of self-protection. The message was: Get consent so you don’t get in trouble.

But there’s more at play, Lamb insists. Students should also understand the concept of mutuality — making decisions with a partner and understanding and addressing other people’s concerns or wishes — and spend time developing their own sense of right and wrong. 

“If a young person is not in a healthy relationship, they can’t negotiate sex in a meaningful way. Even if they’re not having sex yet, they’re grappling with the idea of what a healthy relationship is.”

The curriculum she developed invites students to engage in frank discussions about topics like objectification in the media and sexting. If a woman is shamed for being in a sexy video, but she consented to it, does she deserve the criticism? Regardless of what you think, can you justify your position?

“How do they want to treat people, what kind of partner do they want to be? That takes discussion,” Lamb says. “It’s not a skill-training thing.”

The idea behind the curriculum isn’t that anything goes, so long as students can discuss their reasoning. Instead, the goal is that students develop the critical-reasoning skills to do the right thing in tricky situations. 

After Randazzo’s students got over their cases of the giggles, the conversations were eye-opening, she says. “You give them the opportunity unpack their ideas and form their own opinions,” she says.

Healthy Relationships — and Prevention

Most sexual assault and violence in schools is committed by people who know their victims — they’re either dating, friends, or classmates. Regardless, they have a relationship of some sort, which is why a focus on relationships and empathy is crucial to reducing violence and preparing students for more meaningful lives.

And while it might seem uncomfortable to move beyond the cut-and-dried facts of contraception into the murkier waters of relationships, students are hungry for it. A survey by researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education's  Making Caring Common  initiative found that 65 percent of young-adult respondents wished they had talked about relationships at school.

“It’s so critical that kids are able to undertake this work of learning to love somebody else,” says developmental psychologist Richard Weissbourd , the director of Making Caring Common and lead author of a groundbreaking report called The Talk: How Adults Can Promote Young People’s Healthy Relationships and Prevent Misogyny and Sexual Harassment . “They’re not going to be able to do it unless we get them on the road and are willing to engage in thoughtful conversations.”

Nicole Daley works with OneLove , a nonprofit focused on teen violence prevention. She previously worked extensively with Boston Public Schools on violence prevention. She echoes Lamb and Weissbourd: A focus on relationships is key to keeping students safe.

“If a young person is not in a healthy relationship, they can’t negotiate sex in a meaningful way,” she says. “Really discussing healthy relationships and building that foundation is important. Even if they’re not having sex yet, they’re grappling with the idea of what healthy relationship is.”

And it’s critical to start that work before college.

Shael Norris spent the first two decades of her career focusing on college campuses, but now is focused on younger students with her work through Safe BAE . By college, many people’s ideas about how to act when it comes to sex or romance are entrenched, she says. The earlier young people can start interrogating what they know about sex and relationships, the better.

Safe BAE is led by Norris and young survivors of sexual assault. The organization works to educate students about healthy relationships, sexual violence, students’ rights under Title IX, and other related topics.

Movement to change middle and high school curricula to include a focus on healthy relationships and consent has been slow, Norris notes. In 2015, Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) introduced the Teach Safe Relationships Act, which would have mandated secondary schools teach about safe relationships, including asking for consent, in health education courses. It didn’t go anywhere. And while eight states now mandate some sort of sexual consent education , there’s no consensus about what that should entail.

Instead, the momentum for a more comprehensive sexual education that considers relationships and violence prevention is coming from individual teachers, students and parents.

“We don’t have to wait for politicians to start having conversations about this,” Norris says.

A New Approach to Sex Ed

• Develop an ethical approach to sex ed. Place emphasis on helping students learn how to care for and support one another. This will reduce the chance they’ll commit, or be vulnerable to, sexual violence.
• Don’t just tell students how to ask for consent; prompt them to consider why concepts like consent are important. It’s not just about staying out of legal trouble — it’s also about respecting and caring for others.
• Respect students’ intelligence and engage them in discussions about who they want to be as people. Serious dialogue about complicated topics will hone their critical-thinking skills and help them be prepared to do the right thing.
• Even without access to a curriculum, students, parents and educators can work together to facilitate conversations around sexual violence prevention through clubs, with help from organizations like Safe BAE.

Additional Resource

• National Sexuality Education Standards: Core Content and Skills, K–12

Part of a special series about preventing sexual harassment at school.  Read the whole series .

Illustration by Wilhelmina Peragine

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The Pros and Cons of Sex Education in Schools Research Paper

Sex education pros and cons: research paper introduction, advantages of sex education, disadvantages of sex education, sex education cons and pros: debate, sex education pros and cons: conclusion, works cited.

Sex education in schools remains to be a controversial topic as various members of the community debate over its appropriateness. In theory, sex education aims at assisting children and youth in developing a positive view of their sexuality and gaining knowledge and skills that can help them to take care of their sexual health (Kirby 53). Hillier and Mitchell reveal that the contention around the issue arises as communities grapple over who should teach students about sex and how this learning should take place (211).

Its opponents express concern that comprehensive sex education may encourage pupils to become sexually active due to the exposure. Proponents of sex education, on the other hand, see factual knowledge about sex, contraception, and STIs as effective in delaying sexual initiation and reducing STIs. With these divergent views of sex education in mind, this paper will set out to highlight the pros and cons of sex education in school. The paper will authoritatively demonstrate that the merits of sex education outweigh its demerits.

The spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases in young people is mainly attributed to low rates of contraceptive use and the lack of information on safe sex practices. Juping reveals that school-based sex education has been documented to have some positive impact on knowledge of methods to prevent STIs and skills in using condoms by youths (188).

This revelation is corroborated by Hillier and Mitchell who acknowledge that prioritizing of sex education in Australia as a proactive response to the HIV pandemic has resulted in great success in deterring the spread of HIV (212). Sex education is therefore advantageous since youths who have it are less prone to HIV infection since they have the necessary information and skills to protect themselves.

Sex education offers practical knowledge such as how to use a condom and how to avoid unwanted pregnancies. Kohler, Manhart, and Yu Lafferty carried out a comparative study on the sexual health risks of youths who had received sex education with those who received no formal sex education (344).

The study revealed that while there was no significant reduction in the incidences of STIs in both groups, comprehensive sex education significantly correlated with fewer pregnancies. This is because sex education gives the youth the necessary skills on contraceptive use hence resulting in safe sex.

Sex education is structured in such a manner that it delivers factual information without instilling any moral values or judgments. A study by Vuttanont et al. on the sex education needs of teenagers in Thailand revealed that teenagers sought information on sex that was clear, non-judgmental and non-prescriptive (2078).

Such information is unlikely to come from traditional sources such as the family or religious organization. Sex education, therefore, gives the youth valuable and unbiased information which can be used to make complex choices regarding sex in the real world.

Sex education is essential for young people who come from cultures or families where the topic of sex is not openly discussed. Juping reports that sex is a topic too embarrassing to discuss at home in many cultures although the family is the primary means of the socialization of children and has a significant influence on adolescents (190).

Many parents are less likely to discuss sex-related topics in detail due to many factors including; limited sexual knowledge of parents, differing sexual values, lack of communication skills and parents not receiving sex education from their parents. In such a culture, the youth is forbidden to talk about sex and their only source of sexual information is their peers or television. For such youth, school-based sex education is a valuable source of sexual health and relationships information, and it will empower the youth to make good choices in the future (Selwyn and Powell 229).

Children and youth are curious and will want to gain knowledge about sex. Sex education provided in school is vital in addressing the knowledge gaps between different groups of young people with regards to matters of sex (Selwyn and Powell 219). Without this avenue, the young will resort to other sources of information which may not be as benevolent.

Vuttanont et al. theorize that Sex education is a useful tool for countering media and peer influences that otherwise shapes the youth’s mind on the topic of sex (2073). Teenagers who gain information about sexual intercourse from friends are more likely to adopt liberal sexual attitudes. On the other hand, those who gained the same knowledge from parents and teachers are less likely to engage in sexual activities (Juping 192).

A major demerit of sex education is that the material taught is mostly against the moral or religious beliefs that the students have been brought up with. As it is, sex education is provided within a secular context, and any moral or religious background of teaching is ignored. The reasoning behind this is that the role of sex education is not to instruct children not to have sex but rather to provide comprehensive and inclusive education on sex.

Religion plays a significant role in the lives of individual and research indicates that religious commitment and participation in religious activities results in sexual abstinence (Juping 191). Religion can, therefore, be seen to have a positive impact on sexual attitudes and initiation among the youth. Sex education, thus, undermines the influence of religious and moral values in guiding young people in matters of sex.

Sex education results in the acquisition of intimate knowledge on sex by youths who may up until then be uninterested or ignorant of the topic. For this reason, some of the conservative parents believe that there is no need for their children to understand sex until a definitive adult relationship is at hand (Vuttanont et al. 2078).

These parents think that sex education could indeed corrupt the student’s moral standing and incline them to engage in sex. This assumption is supported by Vuttanont et al. who revealed that sex education programs give students information which may result in sexual ideas and experimentation among some students (2070).

A compelling argument raised by opponents of sex education is that the provision of too much or the wrong kind of sexual education can destroy the innocence of the youth.

This is not an unfounded fear since as Hillier and Mitchell concur; comprehensive sex education includes teachings on abstinence, safe sex practices, homosexuality and sexual diversity (212). Since sex education is provided in a value-neutral environment, the youths lack guidance on the matter and are left to do whatever they want with the information provided.

As can be seen, there are many valid arguments both for and against sex education. However, most of the opposition to sex education is based on the assumption that once young people are made aware of sexual possibilities, they will immediately and without restraint indulge in sexual activities. Hillier and Mitchell note that this paternalistic belief has persisted despite being disapproved by multiple research findings. Research by Kirby suggests that sex education does have a significant effect on sexual behavior or outcome.

As such, the students are not at risk of experimenting with sex due to the sex education they receive (53). In spite of the disadvantages of sex education revealed herein, this education empowers the youth and helps them reach better decisions concerning sex. The discussed provided in this paper have demonstrated that sex education results in adolescents acquiring useful skills that help alleviate the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases as well as teenage pregnancies.

This paper set out to discuss the pros and cons of providing sex education to students. From the discussions held herein, it is evident that sex education has advantages as well as disadvantages both to the individual students and society at large. However, this paper has demonstrated that the merits of providing this education far outweigh the demerits.

This paper has shown that the commonly held perception that sex education leads to sex is unfounded and should therefore not be used to justify objection to sex education. From this paper, it can be authoritatively stated that holistic sex education is crucial for the youth since it results in better choices on sex being made.

Hillier, Lynne and Mitchell Anne. “It was as useful as a chocolate kettle’: sex education in the lives of same-sex- attracted young people in Australia.” Sex Education , 8 (2), 211–224, 2008.

Juping, Yu. “Sex education beyond school: implications for practice and research.” Sex Education , 10(2), 187–199, 2010.

Kirby, Douglas. “Effective approaches to reducing adolescent unprotected sex, pregnancy, and childbearing.” J Sex Res , 39 (1), 51–57, 2002.

Kohler, Paul. Manhart Leonard and Lafferty Edgar. “Abstinence-only and comprehensive sex education and the initiation of sexual activity and teen pregnancy.” Journal of Adolescent Health , 42 (1), 344–51, 2008.

Selwyn, Neil, and Powell Eryl. Sex and relationships education in schools: the views and experiences of young people. Health Education Volume 107 Number 2 2007 pp. 219-231.

Vuttanont, Uraiwan et al. “’ Smart boys’ and ‘sweet girls’—sex education needs in Thai teenagers: a mixed-method study.” Lancet , 368 (1), 2068-80, 2006.

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Bibliography

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SEX EDUCATION SHOULD BE MANDATORY IN SCHOOLS?

• Post author: Varun Kumar
• Post published: May 16, 2020
• Post category: Volume 2 & Issue 1
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AUTHORED BY: Ms. Kanishka Singh (B.A.LL.B), Banasthali Vidyapith, Jaipur.

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I. INTRODUCTION:

There is nothing simple about teaching children about it. In these pre-adolescent times, pregnancy between teenagers and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), youngster and adolescents require much more than a one-time chat about creatures. Prevention of pregnancy and faith sex should really be current and relevant topics. Therefore, both teachers and parents need to give their children or students the right concepts of sex before being misled by indecent magazines and irresponsible media.

Ideally, children will get all the knowledge whatever they need at home from their respective parents and in order to break this chain, a massive step must be taken to teach children about sex education and make them aware about the true meaning of sex education. The following essay is based on the same issue. It is noticed that to prevent heinous crime against women there has been an increasing demand to impart sex education in schools. So, this essay will depict that sex education should be implemented in schools because it is considered as an important source of information as it consists of various education programs which are good at giving information and appropriate moment for the development of skill and enlighten attitude in a formal way through lesson within the course of instruction. This issue is being highlighted in this essay as it will also deliver the correct information to the teenagers in order to make the right choices in life due to occurrence of many sex-related social problems among the teenagers.

Reproductive health problems such as HIV, unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortions in adolescents are connected to inadequate knowledge about sexuality and lack of access to fertility and contraceptives. Sex Education is not only the responsibility of teachers but also it would be the joint responsibilities of the following:

• Local authorities and Governments  

I.I. SEX EDUCATION AT DIFFERENT STAGES:  

I.ii. sex education: what is it.

It originates from the Latin term ‘sexus educatio’ . It is a term used to describe education about sex, sexuality, contraceptive methods, physical developments and relationships, how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, the importance of safety, opinions and principles about sex. Holistic sexuality education is defined as “ learning about the cognitive, emotional, social, interactive and physical aspects of sexuality. Sexuality education starts early in childhood and progresses through adolescence and adulthood. For children and young people, it aims at supporting and protecting sexual development. It gradually equips and empowers children and young people with information, skills and positive values to understand and enjoy their sexuality, have safe and full-filling relationships for their own and other people’s sexual health and well-being.” [1]

I.III. PROGRAMS OF SEX EDUCATION:

The types of education children should receive can be broadly classified into two categories:

Comprehensive Sex Education:

This program starts in early childhood and continues through high school. It also seeks to manage both safety and emotional concerns regarding sex along with basics birth control and sexual consent. It brings up different sexuality topics including safe sex, contraceptives and condoms in order to reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy and infection with STDs, including HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, masturbation and body image.

It teaches that sexuality is a normal part of a living thing and diverse sexual orientations. It aims to provide children and young people with knowledge, skills, and values that will permit them to realize their health, well-being and dignity.

Abstinence-only-until-marriage-programs:

It is also known as Sexual Risk Avoidance Programs. It teaches that abstinence from sexual intercourse before marriage will have harmful social, psychological and physical consequences. It also teaches a set of values which is morally correct for all the students. It usually fails to discuss topics such as abortion, masturbation and sexual orientation. It discusses condoms only in terms of failure rates and limits sexual expression. It generally includes inaccurate medical information and estimate statistics regarding STDs, HIV. It also teaches that carrying the baby for adoption is the only solution for pregnant teens.

Let’s take an example, at present time in the United States, the rate of teen birth and abortions is highest with teenagers as compared to other western countries where a number in million going through pregnancy every year. According to reports and surveys, there occur many cases of sexually transmitted diseases. At the same time. Saharan Africa, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia have also reported the highest number of teen pregnancy in the world. Developed countries like Japan and South Korea, their teen pregnancy rates are the lowest rates in the world.

And hence, the question arises- Should Sex Education be implemented in schools?

So, most probably sex education should be implemented in schools as it helps to reduce the teen pregnancy rates and school is the only appropriate place that can give the information regarding sex and sexual protection method and it also protects the teenagers and children which would be considered best for the children rather than social media or any other source.

The following key points are maintained to impart of Sex Education in schools as given below:

• Boys and girls who are both entering adolescences need to learn all aspects of physical and emotional changes they will undergo as they grow older.
• It is the current need to provide sufficient information about the physical and psychological differences between the sexes that they behave differently at different ages.
• It is believed that sex education will be influenced by marriage to increase unwanted pregnancies during adolescent girls.
• Sex education in high schools helps youngsters to be more prepared for life changes like puberty, menopause etc.
• It is observed that girls would not get shocked, panic and afraid at their first menstruation, once they already had the knowledge about it.
• It is also noticed that in more cases parents don’t feel comfortable talking about sex-related issues with their children. So, it becomes the responsibility of school or institutions to provide adequate education in this regards in the right direction at the right time.
• Sex Education in school will provide children with the knowledge of understanding the intentions of ill-minded people and those having covetous eyes and how to stay away from them.
• In this digital world, various adult content is readily available to children as a result of the internet, pornography is very easy, if children are not taught properly about it, and they may end up in the wrong circle of friend and spoil their own life.
• Sexual safety is a part of science so it has to be taught to both teachers and parents as well.
• It is also noticed that in day-to-day life, children and women are vulnerable to being violated, especially if they are kept ignorant in sex education.
• Sex education also acquaints on sexually transmitted infections to stay healthy.
• It is also noticed that in rural India that teen pregnancy cases are increasing enormously. So, sex education will play a crucial role to prevent it.
• Sex Education also helps the children to understand the body structures and skill of interpersonal relationship among the opposite sex.
• As per medical science, the best time to give sex education is when the child experiences physiological and psychological changes in their body and hormones.

The above changes occurred during the adolescence. So, schooling age is one of the utmost and suitable stages to teach sex education to mold them to become a useful citizen for both the society and the nation.

II. RESEARCH REPORT:

“According to SIECUS , the Sexuality and Education Council of the United States, 93% of adults surveyed support sexuality education in high school and 84% support it in junior high school. As a matter of fact, 88% of the parents of junior high school students and 80% of parents of secondary school students believe that Sex Education schools make it convenient for them to talk to their teens about sex. Also, 92% of adolescents’ report that they want their parents to talk about both sex and to have comprehensive-in school sex education.  

Moreover, a “study, conducted by Mathematica Policy Research on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, found that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are ineffective.” [2]

III. DOCUMENTATION:

It suggests that a combination of comprehensive sex education and way to birth control reduces the rate of unexpected pregnancies in adolescents. A meta-analysis that compared comprehensive sex education programs with abstinence-only programs where it was found that abstinence-only programs did not reduce the chance of child-bearing, but may have even increased it.

Many studies show that various educational programs provide accurate information about condoms and contraception may reduce risky behaviours reported by young people as well as decrease unwanted pregnancies and STIs. Programs that only teach abstinence have not been shown to be effective.

Research has also shown that young people adopt impartial attitudes about gender roles due to delay in sexual initiation and use of condoms. These individuals were also less likely to engage in violent relationships and had lower rates of STIs, including HIV and inadvertent pregnancy. By highlighting rights and gender issues, these programs help to reduce and gender-based violence, promote safe schools, gender equality and advocate young people for their rights.

IV. WHY IS SEXUAL EDUCATION TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS IN INDIA?

The importance of the distribution of sex education in an appropriate time for this important demographic has been emphasized by current data, which shows that approximately one-fifth of each person in the world is a teenager. They comprise 18% of the world’s population, 88% of developing countries in 2009. India has the largest adolescent population having 50% of the population living in urban areas. These figures show the importance of addressing the health needs of this important demographic, particularly for developing countries such as India.

Recent literature suggests that at this point of time they are likely to experiment and engage in highly risky behaviours that have the capacity to affect the health quality and survival probability in both short and long periods of their lifetimes. It covers issues such as early pregnancy, unsafe abortion, STIs including HIV, and sexual abuse and violence.

The following reasons are given below:

Disease Control and Prevention survey:

In the 2017 centres for disease Control and Prevention survey, 40 percent of all high school students reported that they had sex and 10 percent of high school students have had sex with two or more partners in their lifetime. Students who had sex in the middle of three months before the survey, 54% of the population reported the use of condom and 30% of the population reported the use of birth control pills, an intrauterine device implants, shots reported during the encounter. In 2017, the birth rate for women aged 15-19 was 18.8 per women, a decrease of 7% from 2016. According to the CDC, the reasons for the decline are not completely clear, but evidence suggests a significant number of adolescents are prevented from sexual activity and pointed to the increased use of birth control in sexually active adolescents. Although the teen birth rate has fallen to its lowest level since data collection began, the United States has the highest teen birth rate in the industrialized world. [3]

Extinction of Pregnancy Problems in Adolescent Age:

Some social and economic costs may lead to teen pregnancy. Adolescent mother is less likely to end high school and more likely to live in poverty dependent on public assistance and remain in poor health than their peers. Their kids are more likely to suffer from health and cognitive harm, also exposed to child welfare and corrective systems, live in poverty and become parents of adolescents by themselves. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned pregnancy which is estimated to cost taxpayers of teenage children at least $ 9.4 billion annually. Between 1991 and 2015, the teen birth rate declined by 64%, resulting in an increase of about $ 4.4 billion in public savings of one year alone. [4]

Infections :

Sexually transmitted infections affect the adolescents due to various reasons like biological changes, behavioural changes etc. 25 percent of the sexually active population is constituted by young people aged 15 to 24 but they acquire half of all new STIs, or approximately 10 million cases per year. Though there are many unreported cases of STIs but one in four sexually active adolescent females has been reported to have an STI. Here has been growth in the rate of reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and primary and secondary syphilis among the people aged between 15-24 years. According to a CDC analysis, it was revealed that the annual number of new STIs is approximately equal among young women and young men.

Comprehensive sex education doesn’t encourage kids to have Sex:

Similar to abstinence-only programs, good comprehensive programs teach students that abstinence is the only way to prevent STDs and pregnancy. The difference is that these programs give students realistic and factual information about the protection of various sexual practices, and how to improve barriers. Hence, comprehensive sex education doesn’t encourage kids to have sex.

It’s the job of parents to teach faith:

Nothing about comprehensive sex education prohibits parents from teaching their children their standards for moral behaviour. If anything, they should focus on explaining their personal religious beliefs and behavioural expectations for parents to know the facts in school.

Extensive sex encourages abstinence, not ignorance:

What do teenagers do when they are not properly informed about sexual risks? They perform oral sex or anal sex instead of vaginal intercourse. In particular, many teens do not view oral sex as incompatible with abstinence. This is true that even though oral sex can transmit multiple STDs.

Abstinence-only programs sometimes encourage students to abstain from sex, without explaining what sex is. Conversely, when comprehensive sex education is given in schools, it may encourage adolescents to make more informed decisions before participating in alternative sexual behaviours. Without sufficient information, these are behaviours that teens may wrongly assume are safe.

V. ADOLESCENT SEX EDUCATION IN INDIA- CURRENT PERSPECTIVE:

Sexual health is regarded as a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being, defined by WHO. Primarily, its predominance during adolescence (10-19 years) is an important preventive tool, as it is the appropriate time when youngsters experience developmental changes in their physical behaviour as they enter into adulthood. Such as early and near-term pregnancies, unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV/AIDS, and sexual violence, whose rates are rising at an already disturbing rate.

VI. STRUCTURE OF CURRENT NATIONAL PROGRAMS IN INDIA:

The current program of sex education included in the Indian curriculum is called as FLE and was proposed by the National AIDS Control Organization and the Ministry of Human Resources and Development.

The main objectives of family life can be broadly classified as:

• To develop emotionally stable children and adolescents who feel safe and secure enough to make decisions about their conduct without taking away from their feelings.
• Providing sound knowledge not only to the physical aspects of sexual behaviour but also to its psychological and sociological aspects, so that sexual experience can be seen as part of a person’s total personality.
• Develop standards of behaviour and conduct that will ensure that youth and adults determine their sexual and other behaviours by considering its long-term effects on their personal development, the well-being of other individuals and the welfare of society overall.

More specifically, the program covers the following topics, including but not limited to human sexual, anatomy, sexual reproduction, reproductive health, rights and responsibilities, emotional relationships, contraception and other aspects of human sexuality and also non-sexual behaviour.

VII. CONCLUSION:

Children and adolescents need the right information from the right sources about sex, sexual relationships and various other related issues to make the right decision for their present and future. They need to understand what can happen if there are misconceptions about sex, which in turn becomes dangerous. After all, it is often said that education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world. Education provides us with the tool to improve the quality of life in modern society both economically and sociologically. In this current and risky world, everyone is adopting new techniques to prevent ignorance and to generate more awareness.

Not only that, but the provision of FLE also has many benefits for adolescent boys and girls, including delays in sexual activity, reduction in unplanned and early pregnancies and their associated complications, fewer unwanted children, reduced risk of sexual abuse, greater completion of education and later marriages can reduce the unsafe abortion and curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.

We must realize the demand and importance of implementation of Sex Education in schools. Hence, the students who are our future generations will be well prepared to face all the unexpected obstacles in their future to achieve the nation’s goals.

[1] Federal Centre for Health Education, sexuality education, http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/379043/Sexuality_education_Policy_brief_No_1.pdf?ua=1.

[2] Joshua Campbell, Sociology & Education, pg. 113.

[3] The NCSL Podcast, State Policies on Sex Education in Schools , 2020.

[4] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Importance of Prevention, 2019.

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